Locomotive-headlight



C. D. MOODY.

LOCOMOTIVE HEADLIGHT.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3. I919.

. 1,308,720. Patented July 1, 1919.

CALVIN D. MOODY, 0F CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS.

LOCOMOTIVE-HEADLIGHT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 1, 1919.

Application filed February 3, 1919. Serial No. 274,691.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CALVIN D. MooDY, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Corpus Christi, in the county of Nueces and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locomotive- Headlights; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. My invention has for its principal object to provide a novel and reliable means for turning locomotive head lights in rounding curves, so that the rays of the light will at all times be thrown directly on the track ahead; and in carrying out this end, further objects areto provide a novel form of support for the head light which will permit turning thereof as required, and to so construct-the entire device as to permit attachment to the locomotive with little or no changes in the latter.

With the foregoing in view, the invention resides in the novel features of construction and unique association of parts hereinafter fully described. and claimed, the descriptive matter being supplemented by the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this application, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a locomotive equipped with my invention. 1 Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the head light turning means showing more clearly its construction and arrangement upon the locomotive.

Fig. 3 is a detail vertical section of the pivotal support for the head light.

Fig. 4 is a detail horizontal section on the plane of the line l-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a disassembled perspective view of the aforesaid pivotal support.

In the drawing above briefly described,

' a portion of a locomotive is shown including the boiler B, pivoted front truck T and head light L, these parts being of the well known construction. The base 1 of the head light L is secured by rivets or the like to a spheroidal bearing member 2 whose vertical dimension is less than its horizontal diameter. The bearing member 2 is received, for turning upon a vertical axis, in a socket member 3 which consists of upper and lower cup-shaped sections 4 and 5, respectively, having lateral flanges 6 on their inner ends secured together by screws or the like 7.

The lower section 5 of the socket member 3 is provided with an appropriate base 8 secured on the front end of the boiler B, and

the upper end of said lower section is 011'- set downwardly throughout a portion of its circumference as disclosed at 9, thus forming a horizontal slot 10 between the flanges 6 of the two sections. A gear segment 11 which is formed integrally with the bearing member 2, or otherwise carried by said member, projects through the slot 10 and even if the bearing member 2 is of truly ball-shape, the provision of the segment 11 and the slot 10 will prevent pivotal movement of said member in any manner other than upon a vertical axis. In most cases, the bearing member is preferably of greater horizontal diameter than its vertical height and thus the entire strain of holding the head light in vertical position, is not placed upon the segment.

Meshing with the segment 11 is another segment 12 carried by the front end of an arm 13 which is pivotally mounted on the boiler at 14 for horizontal turning, the rear end of said arm being shown provided with a beveled segment 15 meshing with a bevel gear 16 on a short longitudinal shaft 17 which is rotatably mounted in a suitable bearing 18. The rear end of shaft 17 carries a bevel gear 19 meshing with a pinion 20 on the upper end of a flexible shaft 21 which curves around the side of the boiler as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 2. The shaft 21 is preferably formed of three sections connected by universal joints 22, and suitable bearings, 23 are provided for rotatably supporting said sections.

The lower end of shaft 21 carries a bevel pinion 24 meshing with a forwardly and rearwardly swinging segment 25 which is mounted on the locomotive, independently of the truck T. The lower end of segment 25 is connected to the truck by a link 26 pivoted to the truck and segment upon horizontal pivots 27 and preferably jointed between its ends at 28 upon a vertical axis. Some such arrangement is necessary in order that the truck may turn and operate the segment without injuring any parts of the device.

In operation, assuming that the truck turns to the left as indicated by the arrow a of Fig. 2, a rearward thrust is exerted on the link 26, thus operating the segment 25 to turn the shaft 21, with the result that the operating connections between said shaft and the segment 12 will turn the lat locomotive is moving in a straight line, the

head light is positioned for shedding its rays straight ahead.

The construction and arrangement of parts which I have provided, may be easily applied to locomotives of numerous types, without the necessity of making numerous alterations in their structure, and when once installed, the device will be highly efficient and .in every way desirable. Since probably the best results are obtained from the details disclosed, they may well be followed, but within the scope of the invention as claimed, numerous minor changes might well be made.

I claim:

1. In a dirigible locomotive headlight, the combination with a locomotive and a headlight mounted thereon for horizontal turning; of a gear rotatable bodily with said headlight, a horizontally swinging segment mounted on top of the locomotive boiler and meshing with said gear, a flexible vertical shaft curving around the side of the boiler and'means for operating'said segment from said shaft, a ,pinion on the lower end of said flexible shaft, a segment mounted on the locomotive independently of the front truck thereof, and meshing with said 7 Copies of this patent may be obtained for pinion, and means for operating said last named segment from said truck.

2. In a dirigible headlight, a spheroidal bearing member carrying the headlight, a similarly shaped socket member in which said bearing member is received for rotation on a single axis, said bearing member having a gear segment at right angles to its axis and said socket member having a slot through which said segment projects, gear means meshing with said segment for turning the same to rotate the'bearing member and headlight, and means for operating said gear means.

3. In a dirigible headlight, a spheroidal bearing member carrying the headlight, a similarly shaped socket member in which said bearing member is received for rotation on a single axis, said socket member being formed of two cup-shaped sections having lateral flanges on their inner ends secured together, part of the circumference of the innerend of one cup-shaped section being offset toward the outer end of such section to provide, between said offset portion and the other section, a slot at right angles to the pivotal axis of said bearing member,

said bearing member having a gear seg-' ment extending through said slot, gear means meshing with said segment for turning the bearing member and headlight, and means for operating said gear means.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

CALVIN D. MOODY.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

